Eagles' roster battles still roaring heading into preseason opener

In preseason opener, unproven players will try to distinguish themselves.

August 08, 2012|By Nick Fierro, Of The Morning Call

The preseason game Thursday evening is being promoted as Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (7:30 p.m., Channel 6), but the only battles fans of either team will be concerned with are the battles within the teams.

In the Eagles' case, there are an intriguing variety of position groups in which relatively unproven players will no doubt begin to separate themselves.

Among them is backup running back, which is interesting not only because of the way newcomers Bryce Brown and Chris Polk have pushed incumbent Dion Lewis for the primary role behind LeSean McCoy, but also because all three could wind up making the team and contributing in their own ways.

Of all the second- and third-year players in camp, Lewis may be the most improved, making himself extremely hard to tackle, picking up every blitzer in sight, catching everything thrown his way and not losing his grip of the ball when hit.

Brown, listed as the third running back, is a smooth and polished runner whose speed and ability to make people miss belies the bulk (6-0, 223) and power that often makes those who do make contact wish they hadn't.

Polk (5-11, 222) offers the same power but is further along in pass blocking, which has always been a big deal for backs in the Eagles' system.

Polk provided the two best hits of the day Monday when he flattened safety Phillip Thomas in a blitz pickup drill and later did the same to cornerback Brandon Hughes in a scrimmage.

"I liked the crowd reaction," Polk admitted. "I liked the defense's reaction even more, like the last couple plays when they were really trying to get after me. It just really energized me. It was great to see that, how competitive we are and how much we get after it."

Polk and Brown have played so well in camp that it has led to the speculation that the Eagles might go without a true fullback on this year's roster.

If they do, Stanley Havili leads the way.

If they don't?

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg doesn't even want to go there.

What he was willing to talk about was the backup quarterback spot, which clearly is Mike Kafka's to lose, and the offensive line, which he admitted "has a bit of rust here."

Backup center will be an important battle, because the man who wins the job will be new to the regular roster.

Dallas Reynolds is the front-runner. But Steve Vallos, Mike Gibson and Julian Vandervelde also are in the mix.

Another aspect worth checking out is the blocking ability of tight ends Brett Brackett and Chase Ford.

Defensively, second-year safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, who likely will start because Nate Allen is out with a hamstring injury, has the most to prove. This will be an excellent chance.

Reid announced on Wednesday that with the exception of certain position groups where multiple players are routinely rotated, the players will split time in the Steelers game based on which quarterback is playing — Michael Vick in the first quarter leading the first team, Kafka in the second with the second team, Nick Foles in the third with the third team and Trent Edwards in the fourth with everyone else.